Christian gotthold meinhakdt



@uiten tetes @anni @ffice CHRISTIAN GOTTHOLD MEIN HARD'I, OF ALTOONA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSIELF AND BENJAMIN F.`BELL, OF ANTISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 80,421, dated July 28, 1868.

IMrRovsMjsNr IN PRoPsLLnns.

T0 ALL WHOM IT: MAY CONCERN:

'Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN GoTTHoLn MnlnnARDr, oi' Altoona, in `the county of Blair, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a. newr and useful Lit`e-Preserving Steamer, and Mode of Prop'elling the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full-and exact description of"` the same, suiiicient to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to fully understand and constructthejsame, reference being had 'to the accompanying drawings, which make-part of this invention, and in which-f Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved life-preserving steamer. i Y I Figure 2 is a perspective view of the paddle-wheel, part of its side being cut away to show the air-chambers in the same. t

Figure 3 is a sectional Iside view of par-t of 'the stern of the steamer and the propelling-apparatus, and

Figure '4.is a detachedsectonal viewof a piece of thc side of the steamer, showing the air=chamber around the same, and

Figure 5 is a detached view of the gate o'r valve, hereinafter more fully described.`

`Like letters indicate like parts in the several drawings. l

The nature of my invention consists in constructing the paddle-wheels of a steamer 'ofair-chambers,l and providing thevessel with-an air-tube or chamber, ruiming from bow to stern on both sides.

Also, in propelling steamboats with a power acting horizontally on the water,` frm the stern ofthe vessel. A, in the drawings, may represent a steamer, provided with paddle-boxes, B, in which the paddles have `their bearings-` These wheels consist of the circular casing D, which is divided into' six chambers, a, by six` of the paddles, a. Each paddle a', insidethe chamber a,'is provided with'mandiole, so that access can be had to all chambers, the case D having avman-hole, m. The number of paddles and chambers is, of cou-rse, not limited to'six, as any number desired may bc used. p M 1 Around the centre of the circumference ofthe casing D runs a brace, throughV the centre of the paddles, which .latter are still more firmly held by two braces, E E. A space is cut out from ther paddles a', near tl circumference oi' the casing D, as shown at d, to allow the water` carried up by the paddles a to run oil', and

preventits being carried over.

The lscmicircular top of the paddle-boxes B is 'made to be an air-tight chamber, c, which gives additional buoyancy to the vessel. c

"b is a semicircnlar air-chamber, running around the vesselon both sides, from stein to stern, and secured to the same, or built into it in any suitable manner. This air-chamber is divided into separate chambers, S, of about six feet length lcach, so, ifv one or two of these chambers are injured, the remainder will 4remain air-tight. These air-chambers must, of course, be of sufiicient's'ize to hold a volume of air which will support the vessel, if in danger of sinking.

Three braces, g g g2, running ont from the stern, at each side of the stern-post, are connected by a semicircular bar, g3, and are upwardly braced by bars it. These braces g g1gZ serve as guides to the bars a" i2, to

` which they are connected by slides, as shown. These bars z'z" 1? are on a rod or piston, '13 and support the pro-V pellers. These latter consist of a ring, j, to which are secured two flat segments, F, connected at the top by braces f, forming a bearing for the double hinge, V, of the gate or valve H, in such a manner that the latter lie {'irmly against the ring y', on either side, but without being able to pass through the ring.

In iig. 3, a cross-brace, g, is shown, which may be used as a guide for a chain, ic, attached to the lower end of the gate or valve H, and leads inboard the vessel, andservcs to turn the valve Il against the inner side of the ring j, when the steamer is to be reversed. I

The pistons r pass through tubes p, in the stern of the vessel, and protruding a little out from it, and may be connected directly to the pistons of the cylinders of a steam-engine. l

Inside of the tubes p, the rodsr are provided with a packing, u, which acts as a piston of a pump. Below that part of the tubes p which protrude from the vessel are formed small compartments, P, connecting with the tubes p lby'means of a hole or opening, and provided at their rear ends with another opening, covered by avalve, R, from the outside.

The operation of my invention is as follows: l

In case of shipwreck, whenthe vessel lhas sprung a leak, lthe aix-chambers-in the paddle-box, wheel, and around the vessel will prevent the same from sinking, and from filling entirely with water, and'the means b'y which -this'buoyancy is attained are not taking up any room int-he vessel, but are placedall on the outside of the same. In a storm, the paddles cannot be forced under water, and in thisv manner will prevent the rolling of Steamers, which is so injurious to any vessel. Should the vessel entirely break up, the paddleboxes and wheels will` form large and etlicient life-preservers, and even if one or two of the compartments or air-chambers are injured, the-buoyancy Aof therest will be suficient to sustain the whole..

The engines operate the rods r alternately, that is to say, when one rod is drawnin', the other'is forced out.

.As they are forced out, the valve H is forced against the rngj, and oers resistance to the' water, bymeans of -which it becomes the'propelling-power. On being retracted, the valve H swings backwardly, acted *upon by the water, au'd'allows the rod r, with 'its appendages, to be drawn back without any resistance, the water Vpassing .freely through the open ring. .The propelling-poweris made a. continuous one, on account-of the rods acting alternately, andtheir movements being made so fast that no rocking-motion is created.

A certain quantity of Water must necessarily enter the tubes p, with every stroke ofthe rods r, as the hole in the end ofv the tubes, through which the rods pass, cannot be made tight, but must-allow the rods to play Afreely. I get rid of this water, and make use of the same as Ln-'additional motive-power, -by the piston n, which acts as a pump, forcing the water out through the valve R,in the chamber P. l A cap, p', fitting over lthe rod r,

and forming a tight cover for the tube p, allows access to the `piston n at any timewhen repair is deemed necessary.V v

It will be easily understood that the vessel can bereversed in a moment by overturning the valve or gate H, by means of the chain orfany other means, as levers, &c. i h Having thus described my inventomwhat I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- 1. The propellers, consisting of; the ring j, rim F, valve H, 'bars il 2, on the piston-rod 1', guide-braces g yl g2, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. 1 l

2. .Reversing the steamboat, by means of overturning the valve H, in the manner and substantially as described. K

CHRISTIAN GOTTHLD MEINHARDT.

Witnesses:

JACOB HENRY, ALEXRKA. C. KLAUCKE. 

